Surgical staplers are devices used for surgery in place of suturing to close wounds or couple tissue following incisions. Stapling can be faster, more accurate, and more consistent then suturing. In stapling, the stapler arm (e.g., the trigger) is compressed to apply the staple pin in the desired area of the tissue. As soon as the stapler's arm is released, the staple arm should be able to return to its initial configuration and be available for the next stapling action.
Currently, a metal (e.g., stainless steel) leaf spring is used to provide the stapler with the ability to return the trigger to its original position while allowing the necessary range of motion needed to activate the stapling operation upon compression. These metal leaf springs are commonly made separately, over-designed and require secondary operations (e.g., shaping of the fixed edge) to attach these springs to the stapler.
There remains a need in the art for surgical staplers that are simpler to make.